Police are asking for the help of communities to reunite an owner with their dog following a collision this weekend in which it fled, scared on the M1.

On Saturday evening (15 March) at 6.45pm, roads policing officers responded to a road traffic collision on the M1 at junction 33.

The driver, who failed a roadside breath test, had collided into another car that had three family dogs in.

One of the dogs, a Springer Spaniel, sadly instantly died following the collision. Their Staffordshire Bull Terrier remained with the family, but their German Shepherd Athena was incredibly scared and ran away from the scene.

Officers carried out searches of the area, and enquiries with partners but they, and the owners, have still sadly been unable to find the dog.

A spokesman said: “We’re urging our communities to be vigilant and if you see a German Shepherd that you believe could be Athena, as photographed, please get in touch.”

The driver, a 40- year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of failing to provide and driving without due care and attention. He has since been charged and will appear before Sheffield Magistrates’ Court today (17 March).

If you see the dog please contact the police quoting incident number 798 of 15 March 2025.

Plea for communities to help reunite dog with its owner after M1 road traffic collision

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